STORY FROM THE FIELD: The Zero Suicide in Texas Program helped more than 1,200 youth receive mental health services

A new story on mental health from Healthy People 2020’s Who’s Leading the Leading Health Indicators? monthly bulletin shows how the Zero Suicide in Texas Program (ZEST) implemented suicide prevention activities at the organizational, local, and state levels in an effort to reduce deaths by suicide and suicide attempts among youth in Texas. Of 1,425 adolescents or young adults (aged 10–24 years) screened for suicide risk between October 2013 and March 2016 at a pilot site for ZEST, 95.6% (n=1,362) were referred for mental health or other services, and 94.5% (n=1,287) received management mental health services. Read the full story on HealthyPeople.gov

Healthy People 2020 is a federal policy initiative that establishes national public health objectives with 10-year targets and monitors progress over time in meeting those targets. Healthy People 2020 includes several objectives under the topic of mental health and mental disorders aimed at improving mental health through prevention and by ensuring access to appropriate, quality mental health services.